A tenant starts to notice little red marks on her body. Unsure where they came from, she assumes it was a mosquito bite or something innocuous. But she also overheard in the lobby that someone else in the building might have bed bugs. A few days pass, but now there are even more red marks. And the kids have the bite marks too. This family’s worst fears have come true.
The mom Googles “how to get rid of bed
Continue Reading Infestation Injustice
Wis. Stat. chapter 704 and Wis. Admin. Code chapter ATCP 134 govern landlord tenant law in Wisconsin. However, municipalities throughout Wisconsin have enacted their own ordinances that create variations in the Wisconsin statutes and administrative code.
It is important to understand local ordinances when practicing landlord tenant law in Wisconsin. These variances may provide additional protections to tenants or require specific procedures for landlords or tenants in relation to disputes regarding the rented premises.
An Example: Repairs
Repairs at
Continue Reading Variations in the Legal Rights of Residential Landlords and Tenants
A recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals case complicates residential leases by applying the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA) to residential leases and uniquely calculating pecuniary loss under Wis. Stat. section 100.20(5) for a violation of Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.08(10).
The case is Koble Investments v. Marquardt.1 A petition to review the decision is currently pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Landlords and tenants alike should be aware of its holding, as it has the potential to significantly
Continue Reading Koble Investments, the Wisconsin Consumer Act, and Residential Leases
I originally wrote this post in 2018. While I don’t love utilizing old blog posts, this is an important topic and the fact that more tenants don’t know their rights/get caught in these trap doors, is a personal pet peeve. With COVID dollars drying up and evictions back in person in Milwaukee County, I thought it was a good time to dust off this post and re-visit it.
In Wisconsin, there are plenty of “gotchas” or “trap doors” in
Continue Reading Rent Never Abates to Zero and Other Tips for Tenants (again!)
Security Deposit
The magic number to remember for security deposits is 21. A landlord must return any amount of the security deposit not withheld, plus an accounting for any withholdings from the
Continue Reading Security Deposits and Abandoned Property: Post-Tenancy Considerations